Game conduct for Coaches & Referee Abuse by David Shaw

Koach Karl wants you to know how you can improve your relationship with the referees in your league and help them enjoy the game as much as you do…read on…

Referee abuse is becoming more and more common in today's game.  It is one of the main reasons that many qualified and competent referees are leaving the game.  It is our responsibility as coaches to stop this trend and change the environment so that referees will want to stay in the game.  The followin is a list of some generl points to help you as a coach in dealing with referees.

1.     Like all of us, referees make mistakes.  Each decision a referee makes takes palce in an instant and there are no replays that can be reviewed.  It is almost guaranteed that a referee will make a few mistakes during the course of a game.  There is nothing you can do to change the referees mind on any decision he/she makes.  In fact, the more you question a referee, the worse their performance many become because their focus may be taken away from the game and to your comments.

2.     Different Angles: Please realize that the referee does nto have the same view on an infraction as you do.  You may see the opponent's hand pushing on your player, however, you may not be albe to see your player holding the opponent's shirt.

3.     Coach the game and not the referee.  In most cases, referee abuse is initiated by the team that is losing the game at that moment.  If you, as the coach, are constantly questioning calls made by the referee, then you have stopped coaching.  Forget the calls being makde and focus on the techinical/tacital aspects of the game.

Analyse your Players and not the Referee

Check back next week for the rest of this great advice on how to be a better coach.